The Red List of Trains in Japan has been updated, with four new articles as listed below.
In addition, Seibu 8000 series and Fujikyu 8500 series have been added to the list. There are also many other articles that are now up to date.
I hope they are useful!
Soji-ji is a temple in Tsurumi (Yokohama city), about 13.5 miles south of Tokyo station. It is one of two head temples of the Soto sect of Zen Buddhism. There are many wooden buildings, but they were mostly built in the 20th century, as the temple relocated from Ishikawa Prefecture in 1911. Even so, Soji-ji is still one of the most important and influential temples in Japan.
This temple is also known for tombs of celebrities, including Yujiro Ishihara (actor, 1934-1987) and Antonio Inoki (a professional wrestler and politician, 1943-2022), but it is not well known that this temple has a connection with railways nearby. There are memorials of two disasters, namely Sakuragicho train fire and Tsurumi rail crash.
At 1:45 pm on 24th April 1951, a commuter train on Tokaido branch line (now Negishi line) hit a loose overhead wire after a maintenance worker accidentally cut off another wire and failed to close the mainline, because he thought it would not obstruct trains. The wire tangled up in a pantograph and caused a short circuit with sparks. The train was made of wood, and thus it was quickly engulfed in fire, but many passengers were unable to evacuate as windows did not open, because the Japanese National Railways staff had locked them to tackle fare evasion. As a result, 106 passengers were killed.
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Soji-ji, the largest temple in the area, held a memorial service two weeks after the tragedy, where the Emperor Hirohito and the Empress Nagako offered flowers. A memorial and a Buddhist statue were erected here by the then stationmaster of Tokyo and the then General Secretary of the National Railway Workers' Union in the following year.
Another, even more devastating disaster took place near the temple on 9th November 1963. At around 9:50 pm, a freight train on Tokaido freight line derailed and collided with two Yokosuka line trains. 161 people were killed, making it the second deadliest train accident after the Second World War.
Since the crash site was very close to Soji-ji, many bodies were brought into the temple. A year later, priests of the temple erected a large memorial, with names of 160 passengers inscribed. The JNR (and later JR East) have conducted a ceremony here on 9th November every year.
Hyakken Roka, a 164-metre long (538-ft long) corridor, is not just an ordinary corridor that divides the precinct into parts. It was a temporary morgue on the day of Tsurumi rail crash (see also 4:38 in the video). A little ceremony is held here every day to remember the victims. Young monks run the corridor with a watering can, and the two lines of water sprinkle are said to represent railway track or incense sticks.
Both Sakuragicho train fire and Tsurumi rail crash, which are amongst the Five Disasters of the Japanese National Railways, happened when Japan was recovering from the War, and thus the railway in Japan was not as safe or reliable as it is today. Whilst most people have already forgotten them, the monuments at Soji-ji remind us of the past tragedies.
(Note that Soji-ji is a place of worship, so any boisterous or disturbing behaviour is not accepted.)
There is often a connection between a railway and religion. For example, Keikyu, which is now known as an airport rail link between Haneda Airport and Tokyo, was initially built to transport prayers visiting Heiken-ji temple (Kawasaki Daishi). There are a few other railways opened for a similar purpose, and Kotoden might be one of the most interesting examples in Japan, as all of its lines have a strong connection with religion.
Kotoden, officially Takamatsu Kotohira Electric Railroad, is a small private railway company with three lines (Kotohira, Nagao and Shido Lines) in Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan. They are ordinary commuter railways today, but they were once heavily used by worshippers and pilgrims visiting temples and shrines, which most people overlook these days.
Kotohira Line is the longest and most used one amongst the three lines, connecting Takamatsu-Chikko (which is close to JR Takamatsu station and the port) and Kotoden-Kotohira. The line is 32.9 km (20.4 miles) long, and a journey on the entire line takes about an hour.
Kotohira is a town known for the largest shrine in the region called Kotohira Shrine (also known as Kompira shrine), which has been one of the most famous and authoritative patrons of maritime transport in the country for more than 400 years. Ferries and boats are not as common today as they used to be, but the shrine still attracts millions of sailors and tourists every year.
Kotohira Electric Railway opened in 1926, and extended to Kotohira in the following year to transport visitors to the shrine. It was one of four railways constructed for the shrine, showing how high the demand was back then. Even after Kotoden was established in 1943 amidst the war, Kotohira Line remained an important railway in the region. However, as the visitors gradually shifted to road transport, Kotoden has concentrated on local residents going to work, school or for shopping rather than tourists coming from other part of the country.
Even so, not a few visitors to the shrine still use the line. Kotohira station is also served by JR Dosan Line, but Kotoden outweighs JR when it comes to a journey between Takamatsu and Kotohira. To put it simply, Kotoden is more convenient and cheaper.
Nagao Line is a 14.6 km (9 miles) long railway that branches off at Kawaramachi, opened in 1912 by Takamatsu Electric Tramway. The line is mostly in residential area, used by commuters and students during rush hours but quiet at off-peak times.
Nagao Line had been used by pilgrims visiting Nagao-ji temple, one of the 88 temples of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. It was so hard that not a few pilgrims lost their lives in the past, but it gradually became a casual trip as railways and roads were built. Nagao Line was part of it.
The number of pilgrims has declined over decades, but the number of foreign tourists visiting temples is gradually increasing, probably because The New York Times referred to it in 2015.
Shido Line is a 12.5 km (8 miles) long railway connecting Kawaramachi and Kotoden-Shido, opened in 1911 by Tosan Electric Tramway. According to Kotoden's official website, both Nagao and Shido Lines were initially served by small trains for tourists. Shido Line lies close to the sea, attracting both tourists and local residents going on an outing.
Kotoden-Shido is close to Shido-ji, another temple that is part of the Pilgrimage. In addition, two more temples, namely Yakuri-ji and Yashima-ji, are close to Yakuri and Kotoden-Yashima stations on the line. There is even a funicular near Yakuri station, which transports not only pilgrims to the temple but also those going for hiking. There was also another funicular at Yashima, though it was closed 20 years ago.
Yashima is known for an old battlefield. There was Battle of Yashima on 22 March 1185, in which the Minamoto and Taira clans fought against each other (Genpei War). This battle is also well known in Japanese literature (Tale of the Heike), which almost of all Japanese students at secondary school learn.
Not a few Japanese people focus on the battlefield, but Yashima-ji should not be forgotten. While the funicular has already been closed, there is a bus from JR Shido or Kotoden-Shido stations, making it easy to access to the temple.
Kotoden might just be a mundane rural railway with old-fashioned trains at first glance, but given its history and connection with religion, it might look a little more interesting. Note that these temples and the shrine are places of worship, so any boisterous or disturbing behaviour is not accepted.
